Humboldt County’s older adults face behavioral health challenges shaped by rural geography, limited resources and a strong but sometimes isolating sense of personal independence. From Eureka and Arcata to more remote areas like Willow Creek, Garberville, and Hoopa, seniors often experience barriers to care th...

Harvest Boxes are filled with fresh Humboldt-grown produce, delivered to your door weekly or bi-weekly from Fortuna to Trinidad, or available for pickup. The locally grown produce comes from multi-farm-style CSAs (community- supported agriculture), bringing you the best seasonal offerings from multiple grower...

Black Humboldt and the NAACP, in collaboration with the Black community of Humboldt County and community partners, announce this year’s Juneteenth Cultural Festival, a multi-day celebration honoring emancipation through culture, education, art and community connection.

The Volunteer Expo will bring together dozens of local organizations and community members who might like working with them to make a difference in Humboldt County.

To the Editor: As elders, our mission is to set the table for the upcoming generations — our biological family and planetary family. As such, we’ve not only got the forks on the wrong side of the plates, but the plates are currently upside down and the napkins besmirched. We’ve got some work to do! One of the...

The healthcare crisis and shortage that we face in Humboldt are in many ways reflective of broader social and economic struggles in the area, and it will be difficult to effectively solve the issues affecting health care without addressing those broader issues as a community. Doctors who work here want to fee...

In rural communities like ours, challenges compounded by low population density, isolated terrain and long distances to urban areas create barriers to attracting and retaining physicians and other healthcare professionals. At the same time, our community is faced with barriers to facilitating robust economic ...

One sure way to elicit a grimace and weary nod from others, both here in Humboldt and, frankly, anywhere in the U.S., is to complain about health care. Everyone has a story — trouble getting appointments, lack of specialists and, around here, the long trek to the Bay Area for care.

The design phase for the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) new state-of-the-art $28 million public health laboratory is complete and groundbreaking for the new facility at Wood and I streets in Eureka is expected as early as January 2028. Public Health’s current laboratory is in a n...

One myth about healthy eating that I wish I could quash for all time is that healthy eating is expensive. Of course, it can be, and if you can afford to buy the best, by all means do so. But it’s perfectly possible to eat delicious, healthy meals every day without breaking the bank. If you have these basic pa...

One year ago, our article for Senior News examined the problems with lack of availability of many medical services in Humboldt County. What has changed in the past year? Getting a primary care physician (PCP) in our area can be a challenge, although there are some signs of improvement. Medical groups in our a...

In 1979, after 30 years serving the rural communities of Southern Humboldt, the Garberville Hospital, one of the last privately owned hospitals in California, was about to shut its doors. A courageous band of community members — business leaders, timber people, ranchers, professionals, back-to-the-landers and...

What does a successful effort to improve access to health care in an isolated rural region like ours look like? The good news is that examples exist of best practices that worked elsewhere to create a better healthcare future.

While recovering from cervical spine surgery last month, I’ve been contemplating the role of love in healing. I also have been grateful for the scientific prowess and surgical skill required to safely cut through muscle and bone to create space for my spine to breathe. Medical care should be a combination of ...

Seriously, how would you feel if …

At the end of December, I fell and fractured my left ankle, rendering me “non-weight bearing” on that leg. Suddenly, handicapped parking, accessible bathrooms and wheelchair ramps all took on new significance in my life. While my new disability is temporary, I began to consider what the world and our physical...

A visit to the doctor or diagnostic clinic may take a few hours of preparation, travel and execution, but the home care one provides for a partner with any kind of permanent disability is 24/7. My wife is among the first group of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) sufferers lucky enough to age with this debilitating dis...

Okay, we’re in our 80s. We’ve outlived the average lifespan, but we don’t know how much time remains. Maybe the question to ask ourselves is not, “How long do I have left?” but “How do I want to live the years I still have?” For example, I’m 83 and feel pretty good. My blood tests look good, I exercise every ...

After 46 years in the profession, I retired from my last nursing job in June 2025. Though retired, I will keep my license, both to keep future nursing options open but also because becoming an RN requires much blood, sweat and many tears. I’m not ready to let it go just yet. Did I LOVE it? Yes! It was a great...

Ihate waiting! I have protested. I have asked to speak to the manager. I have even been known to make a scene and scream. Ask the folks at our local Humboldt Medical Eye Associates or the over-worked and underpaid people at our Walgreen’s Pharmacy. Because of my disdain for being kept waiting, I always arrive...